Solved Windows explorer has stopped working error

[AlexIsAlex]

Hi, looks like I'm on the verge of having to try a repair install to fix my "Windows explorer has stopped working error" errors (having tried all of the other suggestions in your very comprehensive guide).

Sorry if this question has been asked and answered above but my Acer laptop came with their branded W7 so I guess that would be a factory OEM install..? Do you think there's any point trying this method to preserve my data before I try resetting it to factory default?

If it helps to know, I've got 3 partitions on my HDD (14GB Recovery Partition; 100MB SYSTEM RESERVED; 582GB for C: ) and I can access a screen like system recovery options by booting into safe mode...Does that change my options at all?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

 

[maxseven]

I'm on the verge of having to try a repair install to fix my "Windows explorer has stopped working error" errors...

Dunno what you have tried, but I have a PC with these and used ShellExView64 to disable non-MS shell extensions and my Explorer crashes stopped. Still haven't pinpointed the precise culprit yet.

 

[AlexIsAlex]

I'm on the verge of having to try a repair install to fix my "Windows explorer has stopped working error" errors...

Dunno what you have tried, but I have a PC with these and used ShellExView64 to disable non-MS shell extensions and my Explorer crashes stopped. Still haven't pinpointed the precise culprit yet.

Hi, thanks for the tip.

I've actually given that a go already but the problem occurs no matter which non-MS handlers I disable. I've also tried almost everything on Capt.Jack Sparrow's list here. SFC tells me there's an unrepairable problem with EhStorAPI.dll and someone over on answers.microsoft.com who kindly checked my .dmp file said the same thing. Not sure if that's incidental or not but I'll try to repair that first (though not sure how...).

If that fails, I figure that plan B is a repair install and plan C is a clean install.

 

[jmjsquared]

STOP! The problem is not that serious.

Hi, looks like I'm on the verge of having to try a repair install to fix my "Windows explorer has stopped working error" errors

Update or uninstall/reinstall your storage drivers. See attached screenshot.

That will install a good copy (copies if you're on a 64-bit system) of EhStorAPI.dll

To fix any other missing/corrupt files found by SFC that are not automatically repaired, follow these steps:

1. At an elevated command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER: takeown /f Path_And_File_Name
For example, type takeown /f E:\windows\system32\jscript.dll.

2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER to grant administrators full access to the file: icacls Path_And_File_Name /GRANT ADMINISTRATORS:F
For example, type icacls E:\windows\system32\jscript.dll /grant administrators:F.

3. Type the following command to replace the file with a known good copy of the file:
Copy Path_And_File_Name_Of_Source_File Path_And_File_Name_Of_Destination
For example, type copy E:\temp\jscript.dll E:\windows\system32\jscript.dll.

Hope this helps.

 

[maxseven]

Along with the sfc idea, just FYI Alex I also had a problem once where the explorer.exe version I was running was one revision old. Somehow the "fully updated" W7 PC had managed to miss explorer.exe update KB2515325 (and the PC still passed SFC scanning tests). Anyway make sure yours is latest e.g. v6.1.7601.17567 depending on your architecture.

 

[jmjsquared]

Along with the sfc idea, just FYI Alex I also had a problem once where the explorer.exe version I was running was one revision old. Somehow the "fully updated" W7 PC had managed to miss explorer.exe update KB2515325 (and the PC still passed SFC scanning tests). Anyway make sure yours is latest e.g. v6.1.7601.17567 depending on your architecture.

@maxseven: That particular update presented a lot of installation problems for some. However, in this particular instance, IMO, AlexisAlex's problem is caused by a simple corruption of a system driver. Not a big deal, really. SFC cannot repair it because there is/are no valid copie/s in Windows' store to be scavenged. If there were, then SFC would not "care" that the corrupt/replacement files were "old" as long as they matched.

The MANIFEST files (.manifest) and the MUM files (.mum) that are installed for each environment are listed separately in the "Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 R2 and for Windows 7" section. MUM and MANIFEST files, and the associated security catalog (.cat) files, are extremely important to maintain the state of the updated components.

After the Intel storage driver is reinstalled as suggested, I believe the SFC problem will become moot; the file it cannot repair will have been replaced.

 

[AlexIsAlex]

Thanks for the suggestion but I think I might have made things worse...

I right-clicked the SATA AHCI Controller-->Properties-->Driver-->Update (no updates were found)-->Uninstall-->Ticked "uninstall system driver software"-->OK-->Restart-->Wait for DVD-RAM and two other devices to reinstall-->Restart again

But I still get the error. I've run SFC again and EhStorAPI.dll is still corrupt (see below). Also, in the system tray, there's an icon for "Intel RST service is not running" and trying to open the application now causes IAStorUI to crash. Also, also, the SATA AHCI Controller is now called Standard AHCI 1.0 Serial ATA Control".

Have I done something stupid?

2012-05-08 15:56:41, Info CSI 00000088 [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:26{13}]"EhStorAPI.dll" of Microsoft-Windows-EnhancedStorage-API, Version = 6.1.7600.16385, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
2012-05-08 15:56:44, Info CSI 0000008a [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:26{13}]"EhStorAPI.dll" of Microsoft-Windows-EnhancedStorage-API, Version = 6.1.7600.16385, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
2012-05-08 15:56:44, Info CSI 0000008b [SR] This component was referenced by [l:202{101}]"Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.1.7600.16385.WindowsFoundationDelivery"
2012-05-08 15:56:44, Info CSI 0000008e [SR] Could not reproject corrupted file [ml:520{260},l:46{23}]"\??\C:\Windows\System32"\[l:26{13}]"EhStorAPI.dll"; source file in store is also corrupted

 

[jmjsquared]

Hi there, AlexIsAlex.

No, you did everything OK and no (additional) harm has been done. When you (we) uninstalled and tried to reinstall the problem device, the proper drivers could not be loaded because they are corrupted; therefore, your system defaulted to standard SATA drivers (necessary for boot). We'll double-check your BIOS settings later.

Please go to your computer manufacturer's support website, http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/drivers , and download the Intel AHCI Driver for your specific machine and version of Windows; or, they have a cool online scanner that will do it for you: http://global-download.acer.com/FilesDownload/ALU/LiveUpdater.exe


BTW, are you on 32- or 64-bit?


Keep us posted. I'll keep a close lookout.

 

[AlexIsAlex]

Hi, thanks for keeping an eye on this.

No luck with reinstalling the driver, unfortunately. I installed LiveUpdater but that didn't find any updates (I think it came pre-installed with the laptop and has never actually found any updates).

I then tried manually downloading and installing the drivers from the website. That turned out to be easier said than done since I couldn't open WinRAR to unpack them or open the folder I saved them in without explorer.exe crashing! Anyway, I managed to install them, restarted but I don't get a tray icon about RST any more and opening the RST application (either directly or via the newly installed Intel Control Centre) still causes IAStorUIto crash.

Have I missed a step? I'm on 64-bit Windows.

Alex

 

[jmjsquared]

No problem, Alex. When I stick my nose into someone else's business, the least I can do is see things through.

Thanks for re-confirming system specs. I will assemble a "package" hopefully to resolve all the interrelated issues you're experiencing which I still believe stem from corrupted drivers. But, a little more info, please:
1. Exact model of your computer? (I want to get all related drivers.)
2. Have you installed all .NET Framework updates, including those for 3.5 and 4 Client Profile? This has caused RST/IAStorUI issues for others. My "package" will check that, too.

Just in case the other crashes (WinRAR, Explorer, etc.) are malware related, running this scanner will eliminate that as a possibility. Download Virus Removal Tool - Free Virus Detection and Removal It does not install and, so, can be run alongside any existing antivirus.

Back in a few hours.
---JMJ

 

[AlexIsAlex]

Heh, well, I could clearly use some nose-sticking-in with this problem. All much appreciated

My laptop is an Acer Aspire 5745G and I THINK I've got the .NET updates you mention. For example, I installed the following two updates this morning:

Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1 on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems (KB2656410)
Installation date: ‎10/‎05/‎2012 07:40
Installation status: Successful

Security Update for Microsoft .NET Framework 4 on XP, Server 2003, Vista, Windows 7, Server 2008, Server 2008 R2 for x64 (KB2656405)
Installation date: ‎10/‎05/‎2012 07:38
Installation status: Successful

By the way, if it helps to know, I've also got a new but related error when I start-up: IAStorIcon has stopped working.

Thanks again, I'm giving the Sophos AV a go right now.

P.S. Apologies if I've inadvertently taken this thread off-topic...

 

[AlexIsAlex]

No malware according to Sophos' tool, by the way.

 

[jmjsquared]

Hi Alex,

My reasoning in suggesting this course of action is that the problematic EhstorAPI.dll could not be repaired by System File Checker (SFC) because it was provided by Intel/Acer and, therefore, not in Windows 7's Store. Acer's description of the subject drivers seems to bear out this reasoning; so, when 'we' uninstalled the "corrupted" device, Windows reinstalled it with a generic driver that Acer does not like. So, we'll try again with theirs, including one that should clear the IAStor error, as well.

Let's proceed assuming the system is clean of malware and fully updated...
Please download and install IN THE ORDER LISTED. (All are in zip format. If your WinRAR still crashes, I SkyDrived exe files here: http://tinyurl.com/jmjsquared-AIA)
1. http://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/Chipset/Chipset_Intel_9.1.1.1024_W7x64_A.zip?acerid=634063753020191834&Step1=Notebook&Step2=Aspire&Step3=Aspire

After (re)installing the Chipset drivers, even if not asked to, please re-boot and get to the BIOS Setup screen by pressing F2 or F10 or ESC or... you get the idea Navigate to that area where you can confirm that the system is set to "AHCI Mode", which is usually the default. If it is, good. If it is not, DO NOT change it. Now, while still in the BIOS, find "Load Defaults" and OK-click your way to a re-start. Continue with the following, rebooting as prompted:
2. http://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/CardReader/CardReader_Alcor_1.3.17.05006_W7x64_A.zip?acerid=634063752712394596&Step1=Notebook&Step2=Aspire&Step3=Aspire
3. http://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/Driver/AHCI/AHCI_Intel_9.5.6.1001_W7x64_A.zip?acerid=634063748588984256&Step1=Notebook&Step2=Aspire&Step3=Aspire

I believe the above will get you sorted but, as mentioned, .NET can also contribute to some of your symptoms vis-a-vis IAStor. Aaron Stebner publishes a neat, little tool that will verify the integrity of your .NET installations: http://tinyurl.com/courtesy-A-Stebner (My homemade link, not Mr. Stebner's.)

Finally, if all the above fails to set things right, the only other thing I would suggest is to run the Windows 7 Update Readiness Tool which sometimes repairs errors that SFC cannot. Beyond that, I can only refer you back to Mr. Brink with my apologies for interrupting.

Good luck, Alex.

--JmJ

Note below:
There is also a BIOS update that resolves sleep/wake issues but it is not necessary for our purposes (and many say that, "If the BIOS ain't broke, then don't fix it.")
http://global-download.acer.com/GDFiles/BIOS/BIOS/BIOS_Acer_1.19_A_A.zip?acerid=634390614629177744&Step1=Notebook&Step2=Aspire&Step3=Aspire

 

[AlexIsAlex]

OK, I'm giving this a go - I've got as far as step 2 but when I use setup.exe to try installing the card reader I get, "A newer version has been installed, installation abort."

Would you recommend uninstalling the existing drivers before running setup or just moving on to step 3?

If I should uninstall, do you know what the name of the device will be in device manager? I can't spot anything obvious...

 

[jmjsquared]

No, Alex, do not uninstall the Card Reader. I included it as an over-abundance of caution anyway, following the preferred driver-installation order. Your system has (or can accommodate) an SD/MMC Removable Card Reader --- ala your camera's, smartphone's, etc. BTW, you can use that slot for a ReadyBoost device (memory card ~4Gb)to ease wear-and-tear on your hard drive.

Assuming the Chipset driver installed OK, things are looking good.

Proceed to #3.

 

[AlexIsAlex]

Well, partial success! RST is working properly again but after running through everything on your list (except the BIOS update) I'm still getting explorer.exe crashes. I've also tried maxseven's suggestion of installing KB2515325 but that update's already installed. My explorer is v6.1.7600.16768 (not sure if that's the latest update or not). Thanks again to you both for your help.

You mentioned that EhStorAPI.dll was provided by Acer/Intel and was therefore not in Windows' store, which makes sense. Maybe the version I've now reinstalled from Acer/Intel is nevertheless the "right" one for my hardware, even though Windows marks it as corrupt? i.e. it was working fine despite what Windows said and the warnings I was getting about SFC and in my .dmp were incidental to explorer crashing? Just a wild guess, not sure if that makes sense...

So, I have...

. Scanned for viruses with Microsoft Security Essentials
. Ran ShellExView and disabled all non-Microsoft handlers (one at a time and all at once)
. Ran SFC /scannow a few times
. Created a new Windows profile
. Ran Sophos' Virus Removal Tool
. Uninstalled and reinstalled my RST software and AHCI drivers
. Tried reinstalling my card reader drivers
. Reinstalled my chipset drivers
. Verified .NET installations
. Ran the W7 Update Readiness Tool
. Tried installing KB2515325

Does anyone have any other suggestions before I bite the bullet and try a repair install (assuming that's an option with my OEM Windows 7)?

If it adds any useful detail, the events leading up to the constant explorer crashes were that every so often, when I opened the start menu, my laptop would hang for minutes at a time. I ran CHKDSK before booting to Windows and immediately after started getting the crashes. But, hey, no laggy start menu, at least...

 

[jmjsquared]

This "partial success" is significant, Alex, and means a Draconian reinstall was(is?) not necessary; afterall, you would still have had to manually install the OEM/Acer-specific drivers, anyway. Right? So, with the chipset and storage drivers (RST) installed and functioning, we only have to figure out the Windows' crash problem.

Maybe the version I've now reinstalled from Acer/Intel is nevertheless the "right" one for my hardware, even though Windows marks it as corrupt?

-- Did you run SFC after the partial success? If you got any "Cannot repair the member file" messages, then please do the following:
In order to keep the Log as small as possible for review,
a. Go to Windows\Logs\CBS and copy CBS.log to your Desktop as a backup.
b. Make a copy of the copy on the Desktop and let Windows name it as such.
c. Open the "original" copy with Notepad and delete all text, press Ctrl + S and close the file.
d. Now, copy that modified file to clipboard, navigate back to Windows\Logs\CBS and delete the CBS.log therein.
e. Paste the file from the clipboard, OKAYing any UAC prompts.

Now, re-run SFC and upon its completion:
1. Open an elevated command prompt.
2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
findstr /c:"[SR]" %windir%\Logs\CBS\CBS.log >%userprofile%\Desktop\sfcdetails.txt
3. Type sfcdetails.txt in Search programs and files and press Enter.

My explorer is v6.1.7600.16768 (not sure if that's the latest update or not).

-- Windows 7-x64 version's of explorer.exe is 6.1.7601.17567 on ALL my rigs which were setup using two different sources, Retail and VL, and later updated to Sp1 via Windows Update. Hmmm? Please confirm that, indeed, Windows is up-to-date by:
A.
1. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
2. Check the Windows edition section:
a. If Service Pack 1 is listed, Windows 7 SP1 is already installed on your computer.
b. If a version number (for example, v.153 or v.720) is listed after Service Pack 1, a prerelease version of Windows 7 SP1 is still installed on your computer and must be removed. Let me know.
B.
Running this tool which will check that all required updates are installed and intact:
http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html and outputs a seachable HTML file. It also dispalys a bunch of other useful info and it's free for non-commercial use.

Please post/attach the results of the SFC scan, the Belarc findings and a copy of the CHKSUR.log that was developed when you ran the Update Readiness Tool. It's in the same folder as CBS.log .

 

[maxseven]

If it adds any useful detail, the events leading up to the constant explorer crashes were that every so often, when I opened the start menu, my laptop would hang for minutes at a time.

This is probably just a distraction. But FWIW I have an Acer Netbook AO721 running W7HPx64 which has driven me about crazy for some weeks--it will without warning or any apparent "triggers" (will just start doing this on its own) light-up the "HDD Busy" LED and lock me-out from doing anything at all. I can move the mouse pointer, but any clicks I might attempt do not "take" until the HDD LED extinguishes again a minute or two or three (it seems anyway) later, at which time all the mouse clicks are executed as if they'd been held in reserve.

If this problem doesn't go away, I'm to the point of probably recovering it to Factory Fresh condition and starting-over.

I suspect an Acer driver or hardware conflict, but can NOT find it.

 

[jmjsquared]

I can move the mouse pointer, but any clicks I might attempt do not "take" until the HDD LED extinguishes again a minute or two or three (it seems anyway) later, at which time all the mouse clicks are executed as if they'd been held in reserve.
If this problem doesn't go away, I'm to the point of probably recovering it to Factory Fresh condition and starting-over.
I suspect an Acer driver or hardware conflict, but can NOT find it.

Hi, maxseven. An off-the-cuff guess is that your system is experiencing excessive read/writes to the Pagefile, which may be an indication of insufficient physical memory, a bad memory stick, faulty hard drive... Then, too, sometimes Windows Update (WU) installs "updated" drivers that simply do not work properly.



Suggestions, which, generally, also apply to you too, AlexIsAlex:
-- Check whether WU recently installed any updates to your mouse/input device and consider rolling them back to see if the problem disappears.
-- If you have mouse/clipboard-sensitive apps installed, such as Arsclip, Click.to, Listary, ObjectDock, StarDock, etc., then make sure they are updated and functioning properly. If an option in Programs & Features offers to repair them, then do so.
-- Make sure Windows is set to manage your Virtual Memory/SwapFile without any "custom" sizes specified. Windows 7 (unlike XP) does a great job on its own.
-- Make sure write-caching is enabled for you system hard drive.
-- Defragment your drive(s) AFTER doing a chkdsk /f /r .
-- Check memory with something like MemTest (Bing/Google it, please.)
-- Take a look at the Belarc Advisor mentioned earlier.

But, before any of that... Windows 7 has a great in-built utility that just may diagnose these hard-to-pinpoint issues: Start > Search Programs and files , type perfmon /report and press Enter. The utility will collect data for 60 seconds and output a suberb analysis of your system in real time.

Note Below: SkyDrive, DropBox, SugarSync, Google Drive, etc., can cause elevated I/O activity that will adversely affect your mouse.

 

[AlexIsAlex]

Fingers crossed that the culprit can be isolated without a repair install then!

Alrighty...

CBS.log (.txt) is here.
CheckSUR.log (.log - do you need this as .txt as well?) is here.
Belarus Advisor output is here.

SP1 is NOT listed under Control Panel\System and Security\System! However, I've been diligently updating this laptop since I got it, there are no hidden updates and a manual check for updates produces nothing (except Bing desktop, which I might just skip...). I can't see anything related to SP1 under installed updates for anything except:

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 Update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems (KB982526)
Installation date: ‎13/‎04/‎2011 02:46
Installation status: Successful
Update type: Important

Any idea why I don't have SP1 listed..? Hopefully, there are some clues in the logs.